Happily Never After
by Toejora
Summary: A grim fairytale of love and hate. Two people find one another in the dead of night, knowing that this chance meeting was the beginning of an extraordinarily… deadly game. [SessKag AU]
1. Chapter 1

Summary: A grim fairytale of love and hate. Two people find one another in the dead of night, knowing that this chance meeting was the beginning of an extraordinarily… deadly game. Sess/Kag; AU

Author's Note: I've always wanted to write a story like this… I hope you guys will like it. Try to guess which fairy tale it's based off! This is my first fic, so please be honest about it in your reviews.

**Happily Never After **

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Chapter One: And So They Meet...  
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Once upon a time…_

The king was at full power, his control knew no bounds and his might knew no limit. He was heartless, he was _cruel_, he was everything in the world that was damnable. Even with his own incarnations, his own flesh and blood, he was abhorrent. To assure their loyalty and thwart any conspiracy, he held their hearts. Their real, beating, and life-giving hearts always laid within arms reach of this dark king. Because of these strange rituals, seemingly mystical control and spells, some people called him a wizard and others, a demon. Naraku, lord and king, sometimes seemed like a god among his people or, to be more precise, he was like the devil among his subjects. The people were his minions, dispensable, worthless, and unimportant, used to conduct his wars for more land and wealth. These people died in vain. The resulting despondency spread through the kingdom like a miasma, disgusting, suffocating, and fatal. His incarnations, sometimes referred to as sisters, hated him, despised him. If it weren't for the fact that he literally held their lives in his long, clawed hands, they would attack him, kill him, they would do anything to retaliate with the same pain and suffering he inflicted on them. The older sister, darkly beautiful and eerily captivating, was an ardent adversary to her brother, but her opposition was in secret. She worked slowly and sluggishly, making sure that his plans for complete domination was foiled or delayed.

Kagura, this strange and gothic princess, supposedly controlled the winds. Some people have claimed to have seen her flying above the villages with a look of contentment and mirth plastered onto her face. Others have claimed that with her every appearance, the winds seemed to grow stronger, almost enfolding her into a warm and invisible embrace. But, when they laid eyes on this woman, they dismissed all thoughts, thinking that she was just another helpless woman, a face for the public to see, a spectacle.

Naraku often laughed at the ignorance his kingdom seemed to possess, but did nothing to alleviate it. He found their ignorance and stupidity strangely hilarious, stating that he would definitely use this to his advantage, and he really did. He was able to suppress rebellions under the pretense that his rule, his kingdom was the most powerful and the wealthiest kingdom in the world. There were, however, a group of rebels that he could _not_ suppress. Why? Because they were not ignorant and they were not weak, they were, instead, very intelligent and powerful. The only problem with their rebellion was the fact that Naraku had minions, millions of them.

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"Damn…" 

Her voice traveled sensuously through the night breeze. Her voice was so soft, so low and provocative, the hard word marring the gentle roll of her voice. Her bright red lips hung open as she struggled to regain her breath, trying desperately to get her breathing under control. She did it, she finally did it. Clutching the small cloth wrapped package, she cradled it against her bosom. The gentle beating of the package warmed her body, making her feel almost whole, almost living. She slowly pulled the package away from her breast and placed her pale hand upon her chest. The hollowness she felt caused her to shiver violently, to convulse in the growing emptiness and disgust she felt. Pulling the package to her body once more, Kagura rushed to her feet and continued her venture through the dark forest. The full moon hung overhead, gently lighting the way.

Cold dark eyes watched as Kagura's small silhouette disappear into the forest. These dark eyes, so like a demon's, were empty. The circular mirror clasped against her stomach gleamed gently when it was struck with the moon light, slowly disappeared as the clouds moved and covered the moon. The small body melted into the darkness and soon any trace of the young girl who stood there disappeared. It was strange, for any onlooker that happened across this event, because there was a hint of hesitation in the little girl's movements, as if she didn't want to leave, as if she wanted to continue watching. What was unknown was the reason for her wanting to stay and watch. Did she want to know if Kagura got away safely? Did she want to know if she got caught? The biggest question appearing in her mind was did she _want_ her to escape? Even though Kana seemed emotionless, sometimes even cruel, she did care for her sister to some extent.

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The days slowly passed by, each one filled with a sort of regret and fear as Kagura tried to live out each day, avoiding any casualties with the villagers as she lived in a small hut nearly eight miles outside their village. Sure it was far, on foot, but it was still within their radius, meaning that if someone got as far as her hut they would immediately alert the others and she would soon have a pack of angry, blood-thirsty humans outside her window. Kagura was no fool. Even though she had no direct link to the oppression and cruelty imposed upon them, Kagura _was_ related to the dark king himself. This, of course, would cause people to _hate_ her, to _despise _her. Kagura slowly inched out of her hut, needing to go out and gather food. 

It was so hard living on her own, but Kagura loved it. She cherished every moment she had alone, enjoying the solitude she had lacked when she was still living with Naraku. Slowly turning around to give one last glance around her hut before she took off, Kagura saw a small bundle of cloth in the corner of the square room. This bundle was important, extremely important. It was the only possession she had that meant anything to her at all. Stepping back into the hut, Kagura snatched up the bundle and cradled it to her chest, enjoying the feel of warm beating against her bosom, the feeling that would one day be _within_ her instead of _on_ her. Her heart, the one thing she would not let Naraku have, she one thing she was able to steal from him. When she stole her heart, she knew that she had stolen her freedom. Because she now had her heart, she had obtained her freedom. Tying a sash around her shoulders, she carefully cradled the heart in the folds of the sash, not really trusting her surroundings to leave it unattended.

With one _last_ look, she left the hut without a word, knowing deep down that she would not return to this one and would soon have to set up a new home. Kagura whipped out her feather from her hair. She watched it as it grew and finally, determining that it was a good size, positioned herself upon it, pulling her heart into her lap, being as gentle as she could with the small package.

Kagura knew that she had no friends. She knew that everyone hated her. She knew that she could not turn to the people because a few of them adored Naraku and would turn her in immediately, and the other half would probably kill her on sight. There would be no explaining that she hated Naraku as much as they did and she knew she would have no chance fighting against his supporters if they grouped up together. Sure, she was powerful, but numbers (and millions of them) could easily overcome her.

Kagura was caught in between a small war. It seemed that she would have to face off the whole world by herself because of her heritage, the damned way she was born. She was nothing but a severed attachment, directly born from the body, the being she hated most. Suddenly feeling very disgusted with herself, Kagura lifted her hands to her face and stared at them. These were the same hands that did his will, followed his orders so blindly and ignorantly. These hands slaughtered hundreds, thousands because of her mindless executions of his orders. She had never given her actions, his words a second thought, until now. She was as free as the wind and would do just as she pleased. She would no longer allow him to control her. Shifting her hands away from her face, Kagura stared at the bundle of cloth in her lap. It was her heart, her real, true, and beating heart. Kagura didn't know what should be done with her heart, she didn't know how to place the beating organ in her body and was afraid of what might happened if she attempted it without knowledge.

The feeling of disgust slowly crept back into her whole being as she began to contemplate the man who was both her father and her brother. She was his daughter, his sister, his spawn. She was his own flesh and blood, literally. Kagura pulled at her skin, watching as it grew red from the constant pinching. Kagura couldn't take it anymore. If only she could rid herself of his stench, his skin. If only she could peel the skin from her body and somehow grow her own skin. Kagura's feather was soon spiraling down the earth, reaching unimaginable speeds. She abruptly stopped at the foot of the lake she had spotted from above. Quickly clamoring out of her soiled clothes, Kagura dived into the cold water, ignoring the freezing prickle against her skin. She rubbed her arms, as if to scrub off the skin that she detested so much. Kagura stayed as long as she could within the water, not bothering to go up for air till her lungs yelled, screamed for the life-giving oxygen from above. When she could feel the faint darkness of unconsciousness edging onto her body, she lifted herself out of the water, taking the big gulp of air required to relax her body. She flipped her head back, her breast jutting forwards as she reveled in the moonlight.

That was when she heard it. The unmistaken sound of someone else's presence. The laugh, the chuckle caught Kagura's immediate attention, causing her to turn her head to the source. The man, seeing no point in hiding any more, stepped out of the shadow.

Kagura crossed her arms over her heaving bosom, glaring at the man, who she could now see under the moonlight. He was beautiful. Like the moon that shone down upon him, he was mysterious and lovely. His silver hair blew lightly out his face to revel the almost feminine features, but the masculinity was also glaringly obvious. "How long were you there!" Kagura barked as she turned her back at him, looking over her shoulder to keep him in sight.

"Long enough," was his calm reply. He seemed vaguely amused by her, but Kagura couldn't really tell.

Kagura gave an unwomanly snort as she glared at him, finally realizing that her cloths were at his feet. Refusing to back down from the internal war within her, she would _not_ ask him to look away. She would _not_ ask him for anything.

"What do you want? Who are you?" She snarled.

The man stayed silent, as if he was unsure of the answer. "I am of no importance, I am just a citizen of this large nation."

Kagura snorted once again at his answer. She waited if he would continue, but he didn't seem to intend to.

"What do you want? Who are you?" Kagura reiterated her questions, wanting an immediate straightforward answer.

"I am a hunter," he stated, "and as of today, Kagura, there is a bounty out for your head. You better be more careful or you will be prey of this Sesshoumaru."

With that last statement, Sesshoumaru disappeared into the darkness, leaving Kagura alone and afraid. There was a bounty out for _her_. Naraku was out to kill her? It almost seemed unfathomable, but considering the character of her creator she should hardly be surprised. Kagura shivered as the wind blew against her bare skin.

"Damn…"

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Sesshoumaru watched as Kagura gingerly got out of the water. Her lithe body seemed to shimmer under the unique moonlight. Sesshoumaru's stoic mask witnessed Kagura's departure with indifference but, just as he was about to leave, he saw something on the ground. It was a big bundle of blue cloth. Sesshoumaru carefully picked it up, mildly surprised to feel an ethereal beating emit from the package. Somewhat hesitant, Sesshoumaru lifted the loose cloth and revealed a human heart, beating and living. Sesshoumaru looked down with a sparkle of shock and amusement in his eyes, he _knew_ that Kagura had dropped this heart and he _knew_ that she would do anything to get it back. 

And so began their story.

…to be continued…

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So, this is actually a kind of test run for this pairing and story plot. I wasn't sure if it sounded interesting… Oh well, if you liked it, review saying you did. If you hated the whole thing, please review saying why you did. Please don't flame unless you're willing to offer creative criticism. Okay, I know that everything in this first chapter isn't really that well written, but trust me I'll go back and edit this chapter when I get the chance. Also, I'm going to try and update monthly… So, you can expect a chapter next month!

Toejora

Review please.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: A grim fairytale of love and hate. Two people find one another in the dead of night, knowing that this chance meeting was the beginning of an extraordinarily… deadly game. Sess/Kag; AU

Author's Note: I've always wanted to write a story like this… I hope you guys will like it. Try to guess which fairy tale it's based off! This is my first fic, so please be honest about it in your reviews.

**Happily Never After

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**_Chapter Two: Life goes on… _

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Kagura panicked as she searched the area near the lake she had met Sesshoumaru, but her heart was nowhere in sight. She had not realized that the headhunter had actually intimidated her so much that she forgot her only treasure. Kagura cursed under her breathe, angry that such a man could easily get under her skin. She hated the thought of being afraid or intimidated by _any_ man. Kagura glanced around; fear and anxiety filled her eyes as she found that her heart was not there. Then, a thought came to mind. Someone must have found it. Someone must be taking care of it because if not, she would have felt the pain carelessness would inflict upon it. Now, the only question remaining was who had her heart? Kagura had no idea where to search first, she had no idea who could have taken the heart and actually care for it. 

And then Sesshoumaru came to mind. He was after her and he could probably use her heart as bait. Kagura groaned at the thought, but deep down she knew that this was the most plausible possibility. The problem _now_ was that she had no idea where to search for Sesshoumaru. Ruing her fate, Kagura plucked a feather from her hair and soared into the sky, determined to find a new place to live and let life continue on. If she was destined to have her heart, the moment would present itself when she would once again have the opportunity to steal it.

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Sesshoumaru looked down at the heart in the glass case. It was Kagura's heart and, for an unknown reason to even himself, he watched over it. It seemed so impossible that the beating organ was actually hers. From their first meeting, Sesshoumaru knew that she would be a formidable foe in both battle and conversation. She was strong; she had a passion, a fire burning behind those blood red eyes. She was unlike the heart that was stowed behind glass, fragile and weak. 

Sesshoumaru smirked slightly to himself, his tilting lips marring the porcelain mask that had been present moments before. He felt that this chase, this hunt would be rather amusing, exciting, and interesting. His prey was very unusual, she was impulsive and arrogant. She was everything that he would not expect a woman to be, or at least one that he would mate with. His mates were generally characterized as beautiful in a gentle, tender way, elegant, lovely, and almost angelic. His mates were unlike this plain, strong, and almost demanding woman. They were unlike her in attitude, looks, and mentality. He preferred women with no mind or wit, making it easier for him to dispose of them without remorse.

Sesshoumaru was the powerful, self-appointed guardian of the far west of Naraku's nation, often referred to by the people as the "Lord of the West." Sesshoumaru took it upon himself to protect these people, but in exchange he had full control of their village. His activity and the activity of the village was not unknown to Naraku, whose only reason for not suppressing the growing leader was the fear of the west villages' desire to break with his nation.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" a little voice squeaked into the silence of the room. It was Rin, the little slave girl whom he had chosen as his personal servant. She was cute, petite girl of seven years. Her auburn, bowl shaped hair was gathered into two pigtails at the sides of her head and her brilliant eyes shone in two large sockets of her face. She was an adorable, little thing, but her looks didn't seem to faze Sesshoumaru at all. He nodded stiffly to acknowledge her presence, an action that the emotional child soon grew accustomed to. "The farmers said that their crops are being attacked by the miasma again… and that the… the… King is putting maximum effort into finding his sister. His army is actually searching the whole nation for her and his next destination is here…"

Rin shivered involuntary at the thought of having her homeland filled with dirty, grimy soldiers. Her pert lips smacked together as she shook her head in disapproval. Sesshoumaru's eyes never left the beating heart as he processed this information. Naraku probably felt the life being emitted from this heart; Sesshoumaru knew that the dark king was, in some way, connected to the living organ.

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Kagura sneezed. Her head recoiled back and forth as the powerful sneeze assailed her body. It was getting colder, she knew that winter was fast approaching and she didn't have a place to stay. She would have to find shelter before the snow would start pouring down, knowing that it would be harder to travel in the snow. It's been a week since Kagura's encounter with the strange headhunter and she felt the same disappointment she had when she had lost her heart. She was disappointed with herself, with him, and with the world. Why did it seem that everything just went out of its way to destroy her already miserable life? 

Kagura sneezed again. Her nose glowing red as she rubbed it furiously, frustrated that such a _human_ cold could even affect her. Again, sneezes wrecked her body, causing her to pull back and fling her body forwards. Kagura was _beyond_ human and yet she was subjected to their illnesses? The thought infuriated Kagura; she was much, _much_ stronger than that. Suddenly, she fell into a fit of sneezes, her nose running slightly and her eyes tearing. The feather beneath her swerved out of control as she was unable to keep her eyes open and her mind focused. The sneezing suddenly turned to a kind of coughing, her throat growing sore at the constant rush of air out of her lungs. Kagura's hands went to her throat, gently rubbing it as if to soothe the coughing. Her feather was falling now, it limply spiraled downward.

Finally, her cold had taken over her body. She was no longer able to move because of the growing numbness that assailed her arms and legs. Her body tingled with an unpleasant sensation and pained at the slightest touch. She had a fever. Her feather cushioned her fall from the air, but the impact still did some damage, causing her back to ark in pain and causing her to cry out. Her head hurt. Her body hurt. She might as well die now if only to stop the pain. She felt the cold wind brush against her body and sighed at how much pain that slight brush could actually cause.

The air was so cold. Kagura tried to wrap her limp limbs around her, but was unable to do so. She tried to lick her extremely dry lips, but she did not have the energy. Kagura felt as if life was slowly seeping out of her… and she gave in. The fever, the fall, her stolen heart, everything seemed to make her life miserable, so why not just escape?

"No…" Kagura whispered against the howling, the screeching of the winter wind. _I'm much stronger than that…_

Her thoughts trailed off as darkness suddenly took over.

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"Is she dead?" 

"I don't think so…"

"How do you think she ended up this way?"

"…"

"Onii-chan! Why are you touching her?"

"Hey, look! She's moving!"

"I'm scared… she looks all bloody."

Kagura slowly stirred from her dark, dreamless sleep. Her eyes slowly cracked open, lazily glancing about for the sources of the two voices. Kagura caught two small boys looking at her with wide eyes. It was obvious that one was older than the other; the older child was about a head taller than the other one. Kagura guessed their ages were probably five and eleven. She slowly shifted on the ground, moving so that she could fully face them.

Her red eyes examined them and then she suddenly smiled.

Kagura's body once again went limp. Apparently, she hadn't fully recovered and was still unfit to move.

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Kagura awoke to a warm crackling fire. She was laid under a pile of blankets and her clothes were settled (nice and clean) on a nearby chair. Kagura tried to sit up, but her body was still weak. Finally, after minutes of trial and errors, she was able to get up. The sudden movement, however, caused her to get slightly dizzy as the blood rushed downwards. Kagura held out one hand (instinctively) and gripped her head with the other. When she finally recovered, Kagura glanced about the room, looking for anything or anyone. 

The room was empty. Kagura slowly slipped out of the bed, wincing at her own weakness. She grabbed her clothes and got dressed. The room was lovely and homey in a unique way. Unlike the stone cold palace that she's lived in her whole life, the room was obviously part of a wooden house. The dark oak wood gave off such an appealing smell and the crackling fire completed the comfortable atmosphere. Kagura sighed, when she gained her freedom, she would definitely want a home such as this.

Kagura took one more glance around the room and found a mirror looking back at her. Her face looked so different, so bruised and battered with a large patch across her right cheek. Her hair was no longer in its traditional bun and hung limply down her slender shoulders. The only thing that seemed to remain the same were her demonic, pointed ears and scarlet red eyes.

Kagura slowly made her way to the door. She cautiously pushed it open and was greeted with the sight of two small boys (the ones she had seen in the forest) standing side by side staring at her. It was as if they knew she was coming out and was waiting for her. The children were adorable. The youngest was a short boy with jet black hair. The older had some similarity to the younger, but there was also a great difference. The older had bright amber eyes, whereas the younger's was dark brown.

"Onii-chan… she's not scary looking anymore."

The younger boys thumb hindered his speech, but it was easy to understand what the kid was saying. His other hand tugged at his brother's shirt. His brother gently swatted his brother's hand away from his clothes and glared at Kagura.

"I know who you are." The boy said directly before curtly turning away and leaving in a "huff."

The younger boy stayed a little while longer, giving her a sympathetic look, almost as if he didn't want to leave her, and followed his brother. Kagura was left speechless in the narrow hallway, contemplating what the boy had said to her.

Shrugging away the thought, Kagura traveled down the hallway. It wasn't long before she started hearing voices in the distance. Realizing that these were the people who had saved her, Kagura pressed on, not really sure as how to greet them. She finally made it into the room and upon her entrance, four heads shot up. Kagura opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. She suddenly opened it again, determined to greet them politely, but closed it. She was like a gasping fish, opening and closing her mouth.

"Oh, you're up? Are you hungry?" The woman Kagura noticed in the corner intervened, quickly dissipating the growing tenseness and awkwardness.

"Who…" Kagura's sore voice cracked as she tried to voice her question, "W-who are you?"

"Oh…" The younger girl grinned sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head, "I'm—"

"Wench, what's there to be embarrassed about? Just say your name and get dinner ready…"

"Inu-Yasha…" The girl seemed to tense up, her fists clenching at her sides, "INU-YASHA! Don't call me that!" The sweet girl that had been present moments before seemed to have disappeared as she quickly approached the white haired man that caught Kagura's attention. The girl seemed to be on the verge of attacking the cowering man, when suddenly Kagura gasped.

The couple seemed to have broken from a trance and faced Kagura, who was currently looking at "Inu-Yasha" with a strange look in her eyes.

"What!"

"What's wrong?"

The two asked simultaneously. They, then, took a moment to glare at each other before facing Kagura.

Finally seeing her mistake, Kagura looked back at them, recovering quickly from her sudden outburst.

"It's nothing. You just remind me of someone…"

Inu-Yasha suddenly seemed offended by this comment. Not really seeing something wrong with what she said, Kagura pursued the topic.

"He has long, white hair just like yours."

Suddenly, Inu-Yasha stood up, glared at Kagura, and then left. Kagura looked at his retreating back, fuming inwardly at his rudeness. If she had said something wrong, he could have told her or mentioned something, not just walk out like she wasn't someone important. He walked out just like she was just an object, not really worth his attention. _That stupid…_

Kagura was about to continue on with her mental tirade of insults, but she caught sight of the girl next to her. Her eyes were wide open, her eyebrows were raised in concern, and there was a deep sadness within them that even rendered Kagura speechless. Feeling a bit tense because of the situation, Kagura turned to the girl next to her.

"Did I say something wrong?"

The girl seemed to break out of her trance, "Well, you didn't know what you said… It's just that, the man that you mentioned… was his name Sesshoumaru?"

Kagura nodded slightly.

"He is Inu-Yasha's half-brother."

Kagura tilted her head, unsure of what to think of that comment.

"Well, it's really a personal story, but to make sense, Inu-Yasha hates his brother because of something he had done to his mother."

Kagura nodded.

"Oh… I forgot to tell you! My name is Kagome. Nice to meet you…"

Kagura kept silent, observing the naïve looking girl before her. She really had the face of a child, but her body told otherwise. Also, in the younger girl's eyes, Kagura saw some semblance of intelligence and wisdom that appeared with age.

Kagura, not really wanting to give her name, sighed to herself and suddenly gripped her head.

"I can't remember…" Kagura whispered, feigning amnesia.

**TBC…**

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Well, this chapter was a bit rushed and short, but I did stay true to my promise in updating within a months time. Actually, I think I'm ahead of schedule! Hope you liked this chapter and review please. **

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Toejora**


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: A grim fairytale of love and hate. Two people find one another in the dead of night, knowing that this chance meeting was the beginning of an extraordinarily… deadly game. Sess/Kag; AU

Author's Note: I've always wanted to write a story like this… I hope you guys will like it. Try to guess which fairy tale it's based off! This is my first fic, so please be honest about it in your reviews.

**Happily Never After **

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Chapter Three: A semblance to a new beginning…

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Kagura looked around, feigning confusion. "I'm not sure what my name is, I can't even remember my life before now…"

Kagome listened intently as Kagura lied to her, determined to keep her identity a secret. Since the shorter girl didn't seem to know exactly who she was, Kagura would use this to her advantage. Kagura took this moment to observe Kagome. She was a pretty little thing; long raven black hair, wide and honest eyes, full red lips, and pale, smooth skin. The girl had a childlike innocence about her, but the beauty was definitely there.

"That's so sad…" Kagome looked up at Kagura with sympathy in her eyes. "Well, what should we call you while you stay here?"

"I can stay?"

"Of course," Kagome screeched happily as she too Kagura's hands in her own, "We can't just cast you out without a clue to who you really are. Stay here as long as you want. Our home is your home!"

Kagura forced a smile onto her face as she felt slightly irked that Kagome would accept her so readily. She had no clue who she was, and yet she was inviting her to stay as long as she liked. Even though she wouldn't pass off the offer, Kagura couldn't help but feel that the young girl was too trusting.

The kid from earlier, however, wasn't as trusting. Upon hearing her story, he immediately interjected into their conversation.

"You're lying! I know who you are! _YOU_ know who you are! Stop it!" He stamped his foot impatiently against the floor, refusing to remain unheard. The younger brother stood by with his hands out, trying to pacify his brother with cool words. "NO! She's lying to you! I'm telling you, she's lying! She's Naraku's spawn! She's the wind witch, Kagura!"

Kagura was a little taken back by the child's outburst, somewhat surprised that he had recognized her when the others hadn't. Kagura lifted her hands as if to defend herself. She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the girl besides her.

"Hikaru! How could you say that? What would your mother say if she heard you?"

The kid that Kagura now knew as Hikaru hung his head down in shame, as if he didn't wish to face them any longer. A low murmur from his downtrodden form, however, caught Kagura's ears. It was too low and soft for the humans in the room to hear, but to Kagura's demonic ears she could clearly hear it, "It doesn't matter… she's dead now."

Kagura's eyes narrowed slightly in acknowledgment, smirking inside at knowing that this kid was much wiser and perceptive than the girl who had just defended her. This kid could easily be the wisest within the household. It was amazing to Kagura that this kid was the only one there with such a benediction. Hikaru's head snapped up in arrogance as he eyed Kagura with angry eyes. Kagura mentally dismissed the look, but outwardly she grasped her hands over her chest.

"What does he mean?"

Kagome glanced over at Kagura, who had a supposedly confused and lost expression on her face. "Don't listen to what he said…" Kagome seemed to gulp and struggle to swallow a growing lump in her throat. "His parents were killed by Naraku's spawn, Kagura. He just holds a grudge against her. Whenever a woman who has some semblance of her, albeit hair or ears or eyes, he'll immediately accuse her." Kagome looked down and force a laugh. It was hard talking about such a thing as death and revenge, "He once accused _me_ of being Kagura."

Kagura forced a tiny chuckle, trying her hardest to tolerate the ignorant and naïve girl besides her. No matter what, Kagura could not lose the trust that the girl seemed to hold for her. If she wanted to survive, hide, and be free, she had to tolerate the hardships that she would face. The loud and arrogant man, Inu-Yasha, the air-headed girl Kagome, and the child who hated her so much were the obstacles that she had to overcome.

* * *

Kouga was wandering in the forest, reminiscing about his life and the past. Finally, the happy memories led to the one destructive event that had scarred him forever. It had been a surprise attack by Naraku, and by the time he was dressed and out of his tent, still a little tired and sluggish from the previous passionate moment he had shared with some random girl minutes before, his tribe lay in ruins. Half the men were dead and the women were screaming. A strong gust of wind knocked him off his feet, causing him to hit his head on the knee of a dead comrade next to him. His vision blurred, but one thing stuck out in his mind: the menacing laughter and the brilliant red eyes.

Since then, Kouga has been a wanderer, refusing to settle down till he found that demon. Kouga fisted his hands in his clothes, as he clenched his eyes shut; it was just too painful thinking how he had failed his people.

"Damn."

Kouga was woken up by his reverie when that harsh voice echoed in the silence. Kouga, slowly and curiously, followed the noise, unsure of what to find. The voice had obviously been a woman, but that didn't provide much insight to what _kind_ of woman. Kouga heard some shuffling, followed by a string of curses. He brushed the bush away and found the woman trying to gather her torn skirt. He watched as she awkwardly pushed forwards, her limbs tangled in the flowing cloth. He finally moved from his seeming trance as he watched her topple over.

"Are you okay?"

The girl seemed visibly shaken to have heard his voice.

"I'm fine. Leave me alone…" she didn't even bother to turn to him to reply, she just slowly pulled herself up and dusted off her clothes before falling down again.

Kouga laughed to himself as he moved forwards to help her, "You don't seem to be fine." He pulled her up with little strength, noting how light she had felt. She fell limp in his arms as she couldn't regain her footing, falling against his chest as he instinctively pulled her towards his chest. The girl seemed angered by their closeness and pulled away.

"How dare you!" She screeched as she jumped away from him, only succeeding in tripping over her clothing once more.

"I didn't do anything!" Kouga retorted, his temper slightly flaring up. Inwardly, Kouga still wondered at her surreal lightness and her wind-like scent. It was so hard to identify and understand, how could _anyone_ smell like the wind? Suddenly, Kouga's eyes narrowed as he tried to place where he had encountered this smell before. It was so familiar, like a faint memory forever etched in his mind, but it was also so distant, like a word on the tip of his tongue.

Kouga noticed that the girl held her head low, as if unable to look him in the face. He felt a compelling urge to tilt her head upwards and see what she was trying to ineffectively hide, but each time he approached, she backed away.

"I'm Kouga…" He called out to her, somewhat uncomfortable with the silence, "I'm new around here. Actually, I've been wandering around lately, so I have no idea where I am."

"I'm just as lost as you are, but I'm currently residing with a family nearby." The girl shied away once more from Kouga's advances and quickly walked around him and into the thicket behind. Kouga watched as she disappeared into the trees. He was about to shrug the experience away and move on, when a small white feather caught his attention. He bent over and picked it up, bringing it to his face to sniff it for some hint as to who the owner might be (although, he was pretty certain who it was). The smell confirmed it. It smelt just like her, just like the wind.

**TBC…

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**Yeah, this was a short chapter too… I tried my hardest to make it as interesting as possible, but to no avail. The fairytale I had in mind won't really be obvious till _a lot_ later, so don't strain your minds over it. I'm still trying (desperately) to keep to my promise of once a month… Maybe I should start twice a month… Oh well.

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**Toejora**


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